Ticats release veteran offensive lineman Pete Dyakowski

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have released offensive lineman Pete Dyakowski.

“We want to thank Peter for all of his contributions to the organization and our community,” said Kent Austin, vice president of football operations and head coach said in a statement. “He has been an integral part of our team for over a decade and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Dyakowski was the team’s longest serving member, having spent his entire 10-year career with the Ticats after being drafted by the club in the second round of the 2006 CFL Draft.

He issued a statement via Twitter.

Dyakowski is a fan favourite known for his community involvement, accessibility and offbeat sense of humour (he has a Twitter account dedicated to his cat, Gordon.) He was crowned the Canada’s Smartest Person after a 2012 contest on CBC television and appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! in 2014.

First Marwan Hage and now Peter Dyakowski. Ti-Cats management seem to shaft long-time players who have been both effective and fan favourites. Dyakowski’s heart and experience will be missed on the O-line.

All the best Pete and best wishes for whatever you choose to do !
(He should have retired before, or at the end of, last season. If the Ticats gave him options of retiring OR being released, but he wanted to continue playing… and/or MAYBE the Ticats needed to free up some salary cap $$$ now for a big-name ???)

Don’t like this at all. Granted he wasn’t what he was before the latest injuries but they could have renegotiated to see if he’d stay as a veteran presence and a solid backup at a backup pay level. I hope someone picks him up if he wants to still play.

I agree with you, Garney. Look no further than to Ryan Phillips’ release by Wally Buono or Jeff Perrett’s release by Mtl. This is simply what teams have to do. Really wish we could have gotten Pete a GC ring, but wish him all the best.

Ouch! Sorry to see this as Pete was a good player but at some point, unfortunately, the team has to move on. I’d hoped to see him remain, probably more in a back up role this season, but seems that is not to be. Good luck Pete. Not an easy day for you at all.

Not only Canada’s smartest dude
PD was the SMARTEST CANADIAN IN THE WORLD!!!!
All the best, loved watching you play over the years!
If you don’t choose to catch on with another team stay in game shape, Cats might need an emergency call to a crafty vet at some point this season!

I predicted this one at the tail end of last season. Peter has been a great player, but at some point they have to make room for younger guys. Sad to see him go. I’m sure he can land a gig with the #Argos if he wants to continue playing.

Good move, this is a business, not a love fest. His play declined the last few seasons and he was becoming injury prone. See the trend here folks, guys who were consistently banged up the last 1-2 seasons are not being resigned/asked to come back.

Need durable bodies who can last a full season. Kanneh is an example of that.

Hmm…if that was the case the TC’s would be left with what, 2 or 3 players? Ok, I’m being a bit sarcastic here…well sorta. Anyway the injury prone ‘Cats have not had a relatively injury free year during entire the Austin regime. What does it mean? I don’t know, but what I do know is that I have not witnessed so many TC players fall down and not get up without hardly engaging in any meaningful contact as I have the last 3 years. I can go all the way back to 1972, when players were tougher and their equipment might as well have been made out of cardboard and I still would be hard pressed to remember a player from that GC winning team who missed significant time related to injury during the season.

Not disappointed with this move. A surprise to be sure, and it’s always hard to see a stalwart veteran and fan favorite go, but Dyakowski’s play had degraded over the past couple of years and he had the nagging injury issues that destabilize an offensive line. When you have an older offensive lineman take as many Procedure penalties as Peter did the past couple years, that’s the sign of a player desperate to gain a leverage advantage on the man across from him, because he knows time is sapping him of his skills.

I loved his play earlier in his career, he was always great from a interview-sound bite-opinion piece standpoint, and pranking that Saskatchewan radio station last year was pure gold, but there are only 46 spots on the active roster, and everyone of them needs to be filled by the best contributor available.

That said, thanks to Peter for all his years of service, and whatever he moves on to, I know it will be a success.

I both agree with and absolutely hate this move… Pete was my idea if the consummate Ticat… loyal to the team, great with the fans and a leader in the locker room… my seats are behind the Ticats bench… and Pete was the first guy up waving his towel to inspire the fans to make more noise to help our defence… he took time to chat with and have his photo taken with my wife and me at last year’s GC…

He deserved a GC ring and what might rub salt into this gaping wound is if the Ticats win the GC this year…

Thanks Pete for giving us 10 years of your life and the wear and tear on your body… (hope your knees recover)…

Thanks for everything. Peter! I’m sure the Cats will keep Pete on their speed dial, just in case, once the Free Agency feeding frenzy has subsided. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in the Black & Gold at some point this season. All the best, Pedro.

Kent realizes Pete can no longer be a starter… ( he was replaced regularly by Revenberg late last season) so tells him and asks Pete to renegotiate his contract from starting vet OL range ($125,000 plus) to a more cap friendly back up wage ($50,000)… Pete says no… so Kent gives him options to retire as a Ticat or get released now during FA for a chance to catch on with another team… (Argos are you listening)…

I am probably just making sh!t up… but this is how I hoped it went down… showing respect to a long time Ticat vet while still moving forward to improve the OL…

Hey Snake I doubt and hope that the Ticats would not have embarrassed Pete with a back up contract or low ball price. I’m sure they came to an agreement that Pete’s time had come and they should move on. Father time always wins this battle. Watching Pete in a limping jog trying to get off the field last year was painful for me and I’m sure way more so for him. Peter was a warrior on the field and an even better man off it. Good luck sir.

Thanks for a great career in Hamilton…..Peter.All the best in your future endeavours.I was always impressed, as a Tiger-Cat fan, that Peter always chose Hamilton as his home.As a B.C. boy, it would have been easy for him to want to sign with the Lions but at contract time he always chose Hamilton.A true Hamilton Tiger-Cat!!! Thanks again.